Football fans take advantage of extended bar hours to cheer on teams

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This article was published 16/06/2018 (3030 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s 5 a.m. on a Saturday, the grass is still wet with dew, Winnipeg’s streets are still eerily quiet, and the sun won’t rise for yet another 19 minutes. But at the King’s Head Pub, the televisions are already on, the coffee is brewing, and the anxiety is rising: the beer can’t come soon enough.

The bar doesn’t normally have any patrons at such an ungodly hour, but today, they’ve made an exception. When the FIFA World Cup is on, the door is open.

On the screens are Australia and France’s men’s national teams, and on the barstools are a series of early-rising footy enthusiasts. In all, about 15 showed up, and each was greeted with a round of applause upon arrival, regardless of their national allegiance.

“It gets a little rowdy,” said owner Chris Graves with a wink.

The King’s Head was one of several local watering holes approved the provincial liquor and gaming authority to serve alcohol at 7 a.m. rather than the usual 9 a.m. first pour. And by the time seven came around, the Australian fans could use a cold one.

The Aussies, not expected by many to fare too well against the powerhouse French squad, managed to keep the match close, trailing 2-1 late in the second half. In a protracted period of injury time, Australia appeared on the verge of scoring an equalizer to earn an improbable draw. But as quickly as any hope of that result materialized, the referee blew the final whistle.

Peter Shelley, the bar’s manager, was born in Melbourne, and was less than pleased with the officiating, but was surprised by the turn-out. “We expected maybe three or four people out to breakfast, but to get this many people out here, that’s a win, mate,” he said.

Sitting at the bar was Jean-Jacques Chicoine, 70, a semi-retired manufacturer from Montreal, who was passing through town in his RV. Chicoine was cheering for France, despite the preference of the man on the other side of the counter pouring his beer. “I felt very welcome here,” Chicoine said. “Well, that’s unfortunate,” Graves howled. The bar erupted in laughter.

Elsewhere, Scott Birse, a lawyer with Australian roots, clutched his team’s flag and denied any animosity with the French faithful sitting to his side. “It was very nice to be able to come out and cheer with a few fans, and get together with the community,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to the Iceland game,” said Stu McConnell, sitting with Guinness and coffee in front of him.

Across town, at Brazen Hall Kitchen and Brewery, that would be an understatement.

At 8 a.m., Iceland was making its World Cup début, in so doing becoming the smallest nation (pop. 350,000) to ever take the pitch in the tournament. Their opponent? Argentina, a nation with a population of 43.85 million, and whose most well-known citizen happens to be Lionel Messi, one of the best soccer players in the world.

Kristjan Kristjanson, Brazen Hall’s owner, was born in Reykjavik, and took the match as an opportunity to rally Manitobans with Icelandic heritage; the province has a larger Icelandic population than any place other than Iceland. Outside, pungent harðfiskur was being doled out. “I’m Icelandic, and this is important to me,” he said.

As expected, Argentina struck first, with Sergio Aguero scoring in the 19th minute on a howler. But a few minutes later, Alfred Finnbogason tied it up, and sure enough, Kristjanson was ringing a bell with all his might and some 50 fans were just as ecstatic.

“It’s like being with your extended family,” said Ron Sigurdson at halftime, around 9 a.m. “And it’s never too early for a beer.” Angela Connor isn’t an Iceland fan, so why did she come to watch the match at the restaurant? “I am not a fan of Argentina,” she said, laughing.

Brad Hirst, a realtor who runs an Icelandic children’s camp near Gimli and a former vice-president of the Icelandic National League of North America, was clad in a full blue body suit, a jersey and a hat, but by the end of the first half, the body suit became too much. “I eat, sleep and breathe Iceland,” he said.

In the second half, Iceland was on its heels and Argentina barraged goaltender Heimir Hallgrimsson, forcing the keeper to make a series of spectacular saves, none more impressive than his diving stop on a Messi penalty kick. With each Argentinian shot, the fans in the restaurant held their breath, and with each save, they breathed out in the form of a scream.

Somehow, Iceland held on for a 1-1 draw, and the fans loudly celebrated their country’s auspicious start to the tournament with high-fives, flights of beer or shots of bourbon.

It didn’t matter that it wasn’t even 10 a.m. yet. It was the World Cup, and they’d waited for this moment for a long time. That beer couldn’t come soon enough.

bwaldman@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @benjwaldman